Where to Watch New Doctor Who…

One of the questions we are asked often is how to watch the new (2010) episodes of Doctor Who. As one might guess, these questions for the most part come from outside of the UK. Obviously for those in the UK, one just has to check the Radio Times listings to see where and when they can watch new episodes of Doctor Who on the various BBC channels and/or the BBC iPlayer.

Outside of the UK though, it is trickier, but there are various choices. It comes down to the digital medium, be it digital downloads, streaming, or on a physical disc or transmission/broadcast medium (which today is digital as well, but we get too technical here).

Be aware that there seems to be a two week delay across the board in all overseas markets for new Doctor Who. That means when new episodes are appearing on BBC One in the UK, it is hitting the US, Canada, Australia, etc. two weeks later.

In the US, when it comes to broadcasting new episodes, it is BBC America (in Canada, it is the SPACE channel, in Australia it is ABC, etc.). In the US, BBC America can be found on cable and satellite channels (i.e. DirecTV, Dish). Check your local listing for a channel on your TV service provider. BBC America shows Doctor Who on Saturday evenings at 9/8c.

If you are not fortunate enough to have BBC America on your TV service provider (cable/satellite) in the US, fear not, there are other means of getting the episodes.

On iTunes, new episodes become available after each is shown on BBC America. See below for links to the currently available episodes from iTunes. Purchasing them from iTunes means you will be able to watch them via various means such as your computer, Apple TV or similar media center, iPods, iPhones, iPads, etc. It is available in HD as well. You can buy them individually or get the entire series here: Doctor Who, Season 5 - Doctor Who. iTunes also has older Doctor Who episodes available as well for your viewing pleasure.

Speaking of older episodes, another great option is Netflix. While the new Matt Smith episodes are not yet available via the service at the time of this writing, there are many previous Doctor Who offerings available.

Of course as is the case with all new Doctor Who episodes since 2005, they will be available on DVD and now Blu-Ray HD discs at some point after they are transmitted. In the US and Canada, that is traditionally in November as the new series has run its course during the spring months. In the UK, there are usually episode packs or individual episode releases on disc. You can pre-order it on Amazon in the US now (no release date given): Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series (DVD) and Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series [Blu-ray]. For those in the UK, Amazon UK has some already available on disc, Doctor Who - Series 5, Volume 1 [DVD] [2010] which includes The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, and Victory of the Daleks.

There are other services out there as well, including BBC's own iPlayer. These are some of the legitimate methods of getting new episodes of Doctor Who. This article is not meant to be an all inclusive guide to where you can watch new episodes, but this gives you a good start on it. Otherwise, try using Google to search for other services offering them.

You can usually find the most recent episodes available on iTunes in the right sidebar of our website (most recent episodes listed first).

Disclaimer: We have affiliate relationships with Apple iTunes, Amazon, and Netflix. The links to the aforementioned above are affiliate links.

That's an excellent summary post -- thanks. A couple of minor notes to add: (1) A lot of people who have BBC America will also have BBC America On Demand. You can then access Doctor Who episodes from this season any time up to about three-four weeks after they air. It's a free add-on that most people who have the channel will already have. But in my experience lots of people don't realize they have it. The good thing about it is that On Demand has the episodes uncut (they call them "Director's Cut"!) and with minimal adverts -- far fewer than on the live broadcast. (2) BBC America are not showing a new episode this Saturday (29th) so they now go to being three weeks behind.